1. Field
The present teachings generally relate to systems and methods for optical sighting of firearms and, in various embodiments, to a system and method for adjusting a point of aim of a rifle scope without having to significantly disturb the shooter's scope sight picture and the shooting posture.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many firearms such as rifles are equipped with optical scopes to aid in accurate positioning of the firearm's point of aim (POA). When shot, a bullet's point of impact (POI) at a target varies depending on various ballistic parameters associated with the bullet and the shooting environment. Some of the common ballistic parameters include, for example, the bullet type, distance to the target, and wind speed.
In order to place the bullet where the rifle is aimed at, the POA needs to coincide sufficiently close to the POI. If it is not, the POA needs to be “sighted in” such that such that the POA is moved towards the POI. Typically, a shooter “zeroes” the POA such that the POA coincides with the POI at a given distance. The shooter then relies on a ballistic table or prior experience to estimate either a rise or drop of the bullet at other distances.
Such sighting in process typically involves repetition of shots with manual manipulations of the elevation and/or windage adjustment mechanisms. Each manipulation of the scope adjustment usually requires the shooter to disturb the scope sight picture. After each adjustment is made, the shooter has to re-assume the proper shooting posture and reacquire the target through the scope. Furthermore, subsequent shots at targets at non-zeroed distances may be subject to shooter's estimate errors.
The continuous repetition of this process results in potential errors in the sighting in of the firearm. Specifically, with higher power firearms, the recoil of the firearm can be substantial. As such, a shooter who is repeatedly firing the firearm to sight it in may begin to flinch prior to firing the rifle in anticipation of the recoil. Flinching can then result in the shooter introducing error into the shooting process thereby increasing the difficulty in sighting in the firearm. Flinching is generally observed to increase with each additional shot fired. Hence, there is a need for a system and process that allows the firearm to be sighted in a more efficient fashion.
A further difficulty with firearms is that the shooter must often have to estimate the deviation between the point of aim and the point of impact due to distance. As discussed above, most shooters sight the firearm such that the point of aim and point of impact coincide at a given distance. However, when shooting at a distance other than the given distance, the shooter must estimate the range and then estimate the change in bullet drop due to the range. Naturally, estimating the range can be very difficult, particularly when it must be done very quickly as is common in hunting or combat situations. Hence, there is further a need for a system that allows the shooter to more easily shoot at targets at ranges varying other than the sighted in range.
Thus, there is an ongoing need to improve the manner in which rifle scopes are adjusted. There is a need for a scope adjustment system and method that allow a shooter to place the bullet at the desired target location in an improved manner. There is also a need for system and method that facilitates target range determination and improved use of such information in shooting application.